Steam or other fluid actuated valve.



Patented Dec.4 I9, i899.

J. B. RHODES.

STEAM 0R OTHER FLUID ACTUATED VALVE.

(Application led Mar. 10, 1898.) (No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet l.

. .H Il A W 45% Y .Hl l .m H -I MNHN@ um MW No. 639,288. Patented Dec. I9, |899.

' J. B. RHODES.

STEAM 0R OTHER FLUID AGTUATED VALVE.

\ (Application fded Mar. 10, 1898.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Wwf/Wagga@ @y/wh' Patented Dec. I9, |899.

J. B. RHODES.

STEAM 0R OTHER FLUID ACTUATED VALVE.

(Application led Mar. 10, 1898.)

4 Sheets-Shee 3.

(No Model.)

f7/@Wr No. 939,299. Patented Dee. I9, |899.

J. B. RHODES.

STEAM 0R OTHER FLUID ACTUATED VALVE.

(Application led Mar, 10, 1898.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Unirnp S JAY B. RHODES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK C. AUSTIN,`

Y OF SAME PLACE.

STEAM R OTHER FLUID ACTUATED VALVE;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,288, dated December 19, 1899'. Application filed March l0, 1898. Serial No. 673,315. (No model.)

To all whom it' may concern; Huid-pressure is admitted for the purpose of Be it known that I, JAY B. RHODES, a citioperating both the piston and a slide-valve Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago,' employed to control the supply and exhaust. in the count-y of Cook and State of Illinois, The pistoncylinderis alsoprovided ata point 55 have invented a certain new and useful Imbetween its ends with a 'laterally-arranged provement in Steam orot-her Fluid Actuated exhaust-port 2, through which the exhaust is Valves, of which the following is a specifica discharged. tion. r The pist-on B is arranged to reciprocate My invention while particularly applicable Within the piston-cylinderand is provided at 6o 1o to steam 0r other motive-fluid actuated one end with a rod or stem 3, which extends pumps is also adapted for other service Where and works through a stuffing-box C at one steam or other motive-fluid actuated pistons end of the piston-cylinder. are required. The piston comprises two main body por*- The objects of my invention are to avoid eX- tions, the one being adapted to provide within 65 I5 hausting through the piston-stem and to disthe piston-cylinderan annularpressure-space pense with a multiplicity of stuliing-boxes and to atord a seat or bearing for a slidein connection with a valved piston having a valve and the other being adapted to provide longitudinally-arranged exhaust-port cou- Within the piston-cylinder a comparatively trolled by a slide-valve, to provide for a Vfree large exhaust-space which is in constantcom- 7o 2o' exhaust, to relieve the valve from opposing munication Withthe exhaust-port 2. Forsuch pressure,to secure highly-efficient acti0n,and purpose the piston is provided at its ends to provide certain novel details, as hereinwith heads or circular anges 4 and 5, and at after set forth. l a suitable point between such heads it is pro- In the accompanying drawings, Figure l vided with an annular ange 6, which maybe 75 shows the piston-cylinder in side elevation. termed the middle iiange. The body por- Fig. 2 is a section taken centrally and longition of the piston between its head i and the tudinally through the piston-cylinder andl middle flange is adapted to provide a conshows in outline a pump which can be opersiderable area of space, which serves as an ated by the piston. Fig. 3 is a section taken exhaust space or chamber in constant com- 8o 3o centrally and longitudinally through the pismunication with the exhaust-port 2. On the` ton-cylinder and a portion of the length of other hand, the body portion of the piston, the piston on a larger scale, the plane of the between its head 5 and middle flange 6, is section being at right angles to the plane of adapted to provide a seat or bearing for a Fig. 2. Fig. t is asection taken centrallyand reciprocating slide-valve and is suitably re\ 85 longitudinally through the piston-cylinder duced in diameter to provide an annular and piston on a plane at right angles to the pressure-space which receives Huid-pressure plane oi'l Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on line a: Qc, from port Las hereinafter more fullyset forth. and Fig. G is a section on line yy y, in Fig. In order to supply fluid-pressure to the in- Fg. 7 is a plan view of the piston and a secterior of the piston-cylinder at points oppo- 9o 4o tion taken through the valve-carrier on line site the heads of the piston and also to eX- .2' z in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspechaust from such points, the piston is protive view of the valve. Fig. 9 is a section on `vided with longitudinally-extending ports or line ,ez in Fig. 7. Fig. l0 is a section taken ducts 7 and 8, which open through its heads longitudinallythrough the piston, valve, and 4 and 5 and extend back therefrom to the 95 valve-carrier on `line 52 z2 in Fig. 5. Fig. ll body portion of the piston between the pisis a perspective view of the piston on a larger ton-head 5 and the middle iiange 6.. These scale. Fig. l2 is a perspective view of the ports open laterally through such body porvalve-carrier. tion of the piston, as illustrated, for example,

The piston-cylinderA is provided at a point by Fig. 7, wherein the longitudinally-extend roo 5o between its ends with a laterally-arranged ing portions of said ports or ducts are indiinletport 1, through which steam or 'other cated by dotted lines. The pistonis alsovpro- 2' ceases vided with a centrally-arranged and longitudinally-extending exhaust port or duct 9, which opens into the exhaust-space between the middle iange 6 and the piston-head 4 and which extends back therefrom and opens through the body portion of the piston correspondingly with the ports 7 and S by way of a couple of branch ports 9 and 9b. The ports 7 and the branch port 9a are preferably on a line taken transversely through the piston, and likewise the ports 8 and the branch port 9b are preferably on a like line, it being understood that while I could employ but one port 7 and one port 8 I prefer to duplicate such ports and to arrange the branch port 9" between a couple of ports 7 and in like manner to arrange the branch port 9b between a couple of ports 8. The longitudinally-extending exhaust-port 9, which is thus provided with a couple of lateral branch ports or portopenings 9i and 91, takes the exhaust from ports 7 and 8 alternately and delivers such exhaust to the main exhaust-space at one end portion of the piston. As a preferred and simple arrangement for affording a comparatively large area of exhaust space or chamber the head 4 is connected with a circular flange or plate 10 by a couple of comparatively small cylindric or otherwise suitablyshaped body portions 11, which are arranged and suitably bored to provide portions of the ports or ducts 7. With such arrangement the plate 10 can be bolted to the middle ange 6 and provided with a central opening in register with and forming part of the central exhaust-port 9, it being observed that the connecting body portions 11 between the head 4 and the plate 10 can be arranged at opposite sides of the center of such plate, so as to leave ample space for the central opening in the latter. Broad'ly considered, one end portion of the piston is provided with portions of the ports or ducts 7 and is recessed or reduced in diameter, so as to provide a comparatively large area of exhaust-space, which is in constant communication with the exhaust-port 2 and Which takes the exhaust from ports 7 and 8 by way of port 9. As a .matter of further improvement, however, the piston resembles a double spool or two spools arranged end to end and either integral or more desirably formed separately and secured together, the one spool-shaped part being formed with a body1 portion l2, through which the several ports open laterally, and the other spoolshaped part being formed with a pair of connecting portions 11, extending between its ends and 'provided with continuations of the ports or ducts 7. In this way a comparatively large area of exhaust-space'can be conveniently formed without undesirably weighting the piston, and at t-he same time suitablystrong connection is afforded between head 4 and one end of the body portion 12 of the piston. Also the exhaust-port 9 can discharge freely and directly into the exhaust-space thus provided.

The slide-valve D is ported with reference to the ports, which open laterally through the piston, and to such end it is provided with a pair of parallel ports or channels 13 and a couple of intervening openings or ports 14, as best. shown in Fig. 8. The ports or channels 13 are of such length and are so arranged that at suitable moments one of such ports or channels will come oppositeand thereby connect ports 7 with the branch exhaust-port 9a, and similarly at suitable moments the other one of said ports or channels 13 will come opposite and connect ports 8 with the branch exhaust-port 9". In this way the exhaust can be delivered from ports 7 and 8 to the branch exhaust-ports 9a and 9b in alternation. During operation the ports 14 of the valve will also register with ports 7 and S successively, so as to alternately deliver Huid-pressure from the pressure-space around one portion of the piston alternately to the interior of the piston-cylinder at points opposite the ends of the piston.

The body portion 12 of the piston is preferably made cylindric and provided with a recess or olfset having its bottom adapted to form a seat 15 for the slide-valve. This seat maybe convex or concave, but I prefer to form it flat. The recess or offset thus formed in the piston is of a length to allow suitable latitude of shifton the part of the valve, which when arranged to slide upon such seat will work between a couple of stops or abutments provided by the end walls 27 of the recess or offset. The valve is operated by a carrier E, (see Fig. 12,) consisting of a part-cylindric sleeve having its ends provided with annular flanges 16. This carrier is fitted to slide back and forth upon the body portion 12 of the piston and serves both as a holder for the valve and as a means for moving the same along the valve-seat,an advantage of such construction being that the valve can be itted between the lianges of the 'carrier and caused to suitably bear upon the seat by reason of pressure within the surroundingpressure-space. With such arrangement it will only benecessary to provide such connection between the valve and the carrier as will prevent the valve from working sidewise, a simple expedient being to insert pins or screws 1.7 through suitably large holes 18 in the valve and then secure such pins or screws in sockets 19, formed in the part-cylindric body portion 2O of the carrier. With such arrangement the valve will be free to move to a limited extent upon the pins or screws 17 in a direction perpendicular to the seat 15. It will therefore be held in sliding contact with the seat regardless of the position of the piston, and hence will automatically take up wear, the result being a slidevalve which is automatically adjustable t take up such wear.

The formation of the recess or offset in the body portion 12 of the piston leaves the same with cylindric ends or end parts 21, respectively at opposite ends of the valve-seat and IOO respectively extending back from the pistonhead 5 and the middle fiange 6. These cylindric parts 2l of the piston are provided with ports 22 and 23, arranged to extend from the recess or offset in the piston to and through the cylindric surfaces of the end parts 2l of the body portion l2 of the piston. The Valve is also provided with a couple of notches or ports 24 and .25 with reference to the ports 22 and 23 in the piston.

The flanges 16 of the valve-carrier are also tted to the inner wall of the piston-cylinder, being preferably provided with packing-rings 16a, by which arrangement an annular pressure-space will be afforded between these fianges of the valve-carrier, and the valve will be subject to pressure within suchspace.

When the piston is at the left, as shown, and the valve-carrier is at the extreme right, fiuid-pressure from port l will force its way between the middle flange 6 of the piston and the contiguous or adjacent end fiange of the valve-carrier, and thereby shift the valvecarrier to the extreme left, as illustrated, the valve of course being carried by and shifted with the valve-carrier during such movement on the part of the latter. This movement of the valve-carrier will uncover and expose the receiving ends of ports 22 in the piston to the incoming pressure and will also leave a space between one end of the valve and one end wall of the recess or offset in the piston, as in Fig. 4, wherein it will be seen that such space is simply an end portion of the recess inthe piston unoccupied by the valve .and having as its walls the valve-seat,oue end of the valve, one of the end walls 27 of such recess in the piston, and an innerside portion of one of the end flanges of' the valve-carrier. Fluid-pressure from ports 22 will therefore enter the temporary space thus afforded by the shift of the valve to the left and will thereupon pass through the passage or port 24 in the valve into the annular pressure-space between the flanges of the valve-carrier. The fiuid-pressure from the pressure-space between the Hanges of the valve-carrier will thereupon pass through ports 14 of the valve into ports 8 of the piston, and thence to the left-hand end of the latter. The piston will thereupon be driven to vthe right, with the valve, however, in the same relative position.

During the movement of the piston to the right the exhaust will take place through ports 7 of the piston, thence to the branch exhaust-port 9a by way of' one of the channels or ports 13 in the valve, whichat such juncture is in position to place one of its ports 13 over ports 7 and 9, and thence through the common exhaust-port 9 to the exhaustspace between head 4 and the middle portion of the piston, from which said exhaust-space the exhaust passes out through the ultimate exhaust-port 2 regardless of the position of the piston.

When the piston reaches the end of its stroke to the right, the valve and piston will be in position to permit fluid-pressure from port l to force its way between head 5 of the piston and the end flange of the valve-carrier contiguous or adjacent to such end fiange of the valve-carrier, and thereby permit the valve-carrierand valve to be shifted to the right. Vhen the valve-carrier and valve are to thus shift to the right, itis essential to exhaust from the annular space between the middle flange 6 of the piston and the end fiange of' the valve-carrier opposite such middle iiange of the piston in order to allow the valve-carrier and valve to be shifted, it being observed that while the movement of the pis- Vton to the right will bring the annular space between the flanges of the valve-carrier opposite and in communication with the inletport l pressure will exist in the annular space intervening between the middle flange of the piston and the next adjacent end fiange of the valve carrier. The exhaust from such space between the middle flange of the piston and the next adjacent end fiange of the valve-carrier takes place at such juncture directly from said space t0 the ultimate exhaust-port 2. Thus when the piston is at the right the middle iiange 6 of the piston will be opposite the exhaust-port 2, but owing to its conformation said flange will not and cannot close the exhaust-port,which is rela tively wider than the width of' the annular face of the fiange, which contacts withand slides along the inner cylindric wall of the piston-cylinder. In this way the exhaustport 2 also serves as a port for relieving pres-V sure in opposition to the shift of the valvecarrier and valve in one direction.

Whenthe piston is at the right and the valve has been shifted to the right, vfluidpressure from inlet-port l will pass into an annular space temporarily formed between head 5 of the piston and the next adjacent end flange of the valve-carrier. Such fluidpressure will thence pass through ports 23 of the piston, thence through the notch or port 25 of the valve into the annular space be'- tween the end flanges of the valve-carrier, and thence through ports 14 of the valve into ports 7 of the piston, so as to again drive the latter to the left. Simultaneously therewith the exhaust from the left-hand end of the piston-cylinder will take place through ports 8 to the common exhaust-port 9 in the piston by way of' one of the channels or ports 13 in the valve and the branch exhaust-port 9b in the piston. piston to the left the valve-carrier will remain with one of its end anges contiguous to or close to the middle flange of the piston, and hence there will be an annular space between the piston-head 5 and the next adjacent or directly opposite end fiange of the valve-carrier. In order to relieve or exhaust pressure within such space, so as to permit the valve-carrier and valve to be again shifted to the left--as in Figs. 3 and 4, for example- I provide the inner wall of the pistoncylin- During the movement of they IOC IZO

der with a relief groove or channel 2G, arranged adjacent to the end of the cylinder, in which way pressure from said space can pass around the piston-head 5 and thence into ports 8.

When the piston is at the left, its head 4 will register with the exhaust-port 2, but will not A close the same. With such arrangement there will be a momentary direct exhaust from the right-hand end of the pistoncylinder into the port 2 when the piston is in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This arrangement has a direct relation to the automatically-adjustable valve-that is to say, Where the valve is free for adjustment in a direction to take up Wear and is maintained in suitable contact with the valve-seat by fluidpressure regardless of such wear it becomes desirable to momentarily lessen such fluidpressure, so as to allow the valve to be readily shifted along its seat. When, therefore, the piston is at thev lett-hand end of its stroke and the-valve is at the right, with its ports 14 over the ports 7, fluid-pressure within the annular space between the flanges of the valve-carrier will exhaust through ports 14 and 7 into the space at the right-hand end of the piston-cylinder, and thence into port 2,

' through a portion of such port not covered by head 4 of the piston. This exhaust will momentarily lessen the pressure on the valve and lpermit the latter to be readily shifted in the. manner hereinbefore described.

Then the piston is at the right and the valve is at the left hand end of its play preparatory to shitting the valve for the purpose of reversing the stroke of the piston, pressure upon the valve will also be decreased or exhausted, since at such juncture the exhaust from the annular space between the flanges of the valve-carrier will take place through port 24 in the valve into the temporary space between one end of the valve and an end wall 'of the recess in the piston, thence through ports 22 into the annular space between the middle flange 6 of the piston and the next adjacent end flange of the valve-carrier, and thence into the exhaust-port 2, through aportion of such port not covered by the pistonflange 6. It will also be seen that while at such juncture ports 14 of the valve will be over ports 8 of the piston a momentary preliminary exhaust from the cylinder at the left of the piston will take place through ports 8 and 14 into the space between the end flanges of the carrier, thence through ports 24 and 22 to the space between flange 6 of the piston and the next adjacent flange of'the X-*alve-carrier, and thence into the exhaustport 2 of the piston-cylinder. For the broader purposes of my invention, however, the valve could be rigid or integral with the sleeve or otherwise suitably formed to slide on the piston and provided with end flanges for the general purpose for which the flanges 16 on sleeve E are provided, and as the feature of a spool-shaped piston provided with a pair of end flanges and 'having a spool-shaped sleeve adapted to form a valve and arranged to work between the flanges on the piston has been described in the art, illustration of such appears unnecessary.

lVhat I claim as my invention isl. An engine comprising in combination a piston-cylinder provided with inlet and exhaust ports; a piston provided with end anges or heads and an annular flange between the same, and having longitudinally-extending supply and exhaust ports or ducts extending back from its ends and opening outwardly and laterally through its body portion, and further having an exhaust-space in a portion of its length and an exhaust port or duct extending back from such space and opening outwardly and laterally through its body portion; and a ported slide-valve arranged to control said ports and comprising a body portion having end flanges, substantially as described.

2. In a fluid-pressure engine, a reciprocating double-spool-shaped piston having one portion of its length provided externally with a flat slide-valve and the remaining portion .of its length reduced to provide an exhaustspace; the piston being provided with supply and exhaust ports controlled by the valve and arranged to deliver fluid-pressure to and exhaust from opposite ends of the piston, and to conduct the exhaust to said exhaust-space, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a piston-cylinder provided with supply and exhaust ports; a reciprocating piston provided with suitable ports or ducts and having a portion of its length adapted to provide an exhaust space or chamber; and a slide-valve arranged to work upon the remaining portion of the length of the piston and governing the supply and exhaust to and from the piston-cylinder at opposite ends of the piston, substantially as described.

4. An engine comprising a piston having a portion of its length reduced to provide an exhaust-space and having a longitudinallyarranged bore forming an exhaust-port which extends back from such exhaust-space and opens outwardly and laterally through the piston; and a slide-valve arranged to control such exhaust-port, substantially as described.

5. A fluid-pressure engine comprising in combination a piston-cylinder having supply and exhaust ports; a piston having a portion of its length providing pressure space to which Huid-pressure is delivered from the supply-port, and having the remaining portion of its length providing an exhaust-space which communicates with the exhaust-port of the piston-cylinder; and a self-adjustable slide-valve arranged externally upon the piston and subject to pressure within said pressure-space; the valve and piston being ported to exhaust fluid-pressure from the pressurespace prior to the shift of the valve so as to lessen pressure upon the valve.

IOO

IIO

6. In an engine the combination of a piston-cylinder provided With supply and exhaust ports; a reciprocating piston having along a portion of its length an exhaust-space, and having the remaining portion of its length provided with a pressure-space and ported to deliver pressure from the pressure-space to opposite ends of the piston and to deliver the exhaust to the exhaust space or chamber; and a slide-valve arranged to Work upon the pist0n and to control the ports in the same, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a suitably-ported double-spool-shaped piston having annular end flanges or heads and an intervening annular iange and a dat slide-valve controlling the ports which open between one head and the middle flange of the piston; the portion of the piston between such ange and its remaining head being suitably reduced to form an exhaust-space, substantially as described.

8. A liuid-pressu re engine comprising a piston-cylinder provided with supply and eX- haust ports; a reciprocating piston having along a portion of its length an exhaust space or chamber in constant communication with the exhaust-port of the piston-cylinder, and having the remaining portion of its length provided with a pressure space or chamber, and ported to deliver pressure from the pressure-space to opposite ends of the piston and to deliver the exhaust to the exhaust space or chamber; and a slide-valve actuated by pressure admitted to the pressure-space which latter is, at the end of the stroke of the piston one Way, brought into communication with the exhaust-port of the piston-cylinder to exhaust pressure from a point opposite one end of the valve, substantially as described.

9. In an engine the combination, for the purpose described, of the piston-cylinderhaving ports 1 and 2, of the piston constructed with heads 4c and 5, a middle flange 6, body portions 1l, an exhaust-port 9, and supply and exhaust ports 7` and S; and a valve by which said ports are controlled, substantially as described.

10. The piston having a suitably-ported body portion provided with a head at one end and an annular flange at its opposite end, and having a plate secured to said flange and connected with a head by separated body portions having ports or ducts; anda slide-valve by which the ports are governed, substantially as described.

JAY B. RHODES.

Vtitnesses:

ARTHUR F. DURAND', MARGARET M. WAGNER. 

